HARRIS COUNTY, TX – On December 14, 2015 at approximately 3:40 PM, security personnel at the Shell Oil Refinery Petroleum Complex located at 5900 State Hwy 225, alerted deputies of a possible security threat to the facility. The complex falls within the Houston Ship Channel Security District, a designated security district established by the Texas Legislature, and overseen by the Captain of the Port. The Captain of the Port is responsible for setting the Maritime Security Levels (MARSEC) in the Security District.
Deputies working an approved extra job at the refinery complex were dispatched to the southern border of the facility were they encountered a male subject matching the description of the broadcast sent by Shell security personnel.
The subject was a white male, wearing a heavily camouflaged jacket walking along the property line with a video recording device. Temperatures at the time were in excess of 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to elevated MARSEC levels, and the critical mission of securing Houston’s petroleum infrastructure, responding personnel were compelled to detain the subject for further investigation.
During the course of their investigation the subject refused to produce identification, and was evasive in response to the deputies’ inquiry. The male subject was ordered to comply with a safety and security check of his person. After repeated verbal commands, deputies were forced to physically restrain the subject in order to complete their investigation.
While attempting to identify the subject, deputies learned that the male was on the Shell property the day prior, where he engaged Deer Park Police Officers in the same manner. It was further learned that the subject had a lengthy history of confrontations with
law enforcement for the website “Photography is not a Crime.”
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office was contacted advising the deputies to file charges of Interfering with Duties of a Public Servant, a Class B Misdemeanor. The male was identified as Earl David Worden (DOB 09-16-1961).
Subsequent to the arrest made on December 14, 2015, a second individual associated with “Photography is not a Crime” was taken into custody after a similar incident. Phillip Andrew Turner (DOB 11-18-1989) was charged with Criminal Trespass at the refinery complex located within the boundaries of the Houston Ship Channel Security District.
Protecting the Port of Houston, the Houston Ship Channel Security District, and the petro-chemical industry refineries remains a top priority for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homeland Security Bureau. Immediate and decisive response from deputies continues to safeguard the targets of potential interference or attack.
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